In the case of more than For a century, Tampa Bay has avoided some of Florida’s most destructive hurricanes. Hurricane Milton could end that lucky streak, as it is expected to make landfall just south of Tampa Bay early Thursday. The low-lying coastline, still littered with debris from last month’s Hurricane Helen, is bracing for a storm surge of up to 15 feet.
Tampa Bay’s shallow ocean floor and developed coastline make it particularly susceptible to hurricanes. A 2015 report by disaster modeller Karen Clark & Company ranks Tampa and St. Paul. The St. Petersburg area is the most prone to storm surge flooding in the United States. Despite multiple reports reflecting the region’s vulnerability to storm surge, plans to strengthen defenses in the area have been delayed and in some cases vetoed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The region will now have to face the most dangerous storms in 100 years, often with dilapidated seawalls.
Tampa Bay’s geography makes it particularly ill-equipped to deal with storms like Hurricane Milton. The shallow coastal shelf and narrow mouth of the bay, combined with hurricane-force winds, can send large amounts of water onto a dense coastline where half the population lives less than 10 feet above sea level. As the city grew in the 20th century, new development piled up along the coastline, putting residents at risk from storm surges.
Karen Clark & Company estimates that damage to Tampa Bay from a once-in-a-century hurricane could reach up to $175 billion, more than nearly every hurricane in U.S. history. A 2019 analysis of the region’s transportation network found that key parts of Tampa Bay’s road system, including a causeway and two bridges that cross the bay, are extremely vulnerable to extreme weather events. It turns out. The report calls for improved drainage, raised roads and shoreline protection.
Despite these vulnerabilities, several projects to protect Tampa Bay from storm surge have been slow to get off the ground. The 2023 post-Hurricane Idalia floods revealed that storm drains were poorly maintained, clogged with debris, and not equipped to effectively push out floodwaters, according to a report. tampa bay times. In August, the Clearwater City Council voted to increase stormwater utility rates to pay for drainage system upgrades.
But other flood protection projects have been vetoed by DeSantis. A project to replace 30-year-old stormwater infrastructure in the Pinellas County city of Dunedin, located between the city of Tampa and the Gulf of Mexico, has been vetoed for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Other Pinellas County flood protection projects DeSantis has vetoed include installing backup power to sewer pumps, purchasing emergency generators for the fire department, rerouting stormwater and plans to protect theaters from flooding. It will be done.
Vetoed projects in Hillsborough Country, across the bay from Pinellas, include plans to make wastewater treatment plants more resilient to severe weather events and potentially help reduce the height and strength of storm surges. The project includes the installation of 3,500 feet of mangrove and oyster reef habitat. .
(Tag translation) Science
